Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Battlefields: The Night Witches #1-3

Garth Ennis' war stories are some of his best work. I have not been too impressed with most of Dynamite's output, but I had to see what Ennis would put into their war-books. It seems this is just a chance for Ennis to tell riveting war stories. This series followed brave women who bombed German invaders during WWII as they invaded Russia. The women had poor equipment and the worst flight times, but they did their patriotic duty. The series followed a few pilots, their commanding officer, and a German unit as they all became mired in the Russian winter. The story has an awful ending, of course, and it is hard to fault any of the characters for their choices, even as you wince to see what is happening. Even the worst of the characters, the Germans, are somewhat pitiable in their fate (although they do deserve it). This is right up Ennis' alley, and is well worth picking up in trade.

Russ Braun's art is not pretty. It tells the story clearly, but without the frills of most super-hero work. His approach works well with the brutal nature of the story.